Top 5 historical heroines of 2021

Author Kristin Harmel’s novel, The Book Of Lost Names, is a historical novel inspired by a true story from World World II.

A young woman with a talent for forgery helps hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis in a tale about survival and heroism.

Harmel gives us her top five historical heroines from books of the year.

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Elisabetta in Eternal by Lisa Scottoline

Bestselling author Scottoline’s first foray into historical fiction is a stunner. At the heart of this epic, set in WW2 Italy, is Elisabetta, who must choose between her two best friends – Marco and Sandro – both of whom love her, one of whom is a Jew being hunted by the Nazis.

Mab in The Rose Codeby Kate Quinn

Quinn’s deeply researched novel about the women of Bletchley Park features three heroines: debutante Osla (a former girlfriend of Prince Philip), Beth (one of the park’s few cryptanalysts) and Mab (a self-made master of codebreaking who comes from an impoverished background). All three represent the women who helped win WW2.

Elsa in The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

The mega-bestselling Hannah is back with a tale set during the Great Depression of the 1920s and 1930s, centered around one brave woman who would do anything to give her children a better life.

Georgie in The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham

When newspaper reporter Georgie finds herself in 1938 Berlin, on the brink of war, she must put herself in danger to do what’s right – both as a journalist and as a human being – as Hitler and his cronies close in.

Elzbieta in The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer

Rimmer tackles a lesser-known aspect of WW2 through the lens of a young Polish woman who risks everything to smuggle Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto in this stirring tale.

Kristin Harmel’s The Book of Lost Names is out now (Welbeck, £8.99)